After what many considered a successful Olympics for Team USA, Simone Biles has spoken out about the staggering television numbers for women’s sports at the Olympics.
Biles placed five pairs of eye emojis next to a graphic highlighting the accomplishments of women’s sports in Paris, with a heavy dose of Team USA.
The graphic shows that more than 66,000 fans attended the opening match of the women’s rugby competition, setting a world record.
The U.S. women’s basketball team’s game against Japan drew 3 million viewers on Peacock and USA combined, more than all of the Tokyo Olympics basketball games other than the gold medal games.
The Olympic women’s soccer final between Team USA and Brazil averaged 9 million viewers, the most-watched Olympic soccer match in NBC history.
Biles posted on Instagram about the staggering television numbers for women’s sports
Biles was one of the biggest stars of the Olympics, winning three gold medals and one silver.
Topping off the chart, the live stream of the women’s team gymnastics final, where Biles led Team USA to a gold medal, drew 12.7 million viewers on NBC and Peacock.
That’s more than the first round of the NFL Draft and every game in last year’s NBA Finals.
At 27, Biles was the oldest member of the U.S. gymnastics team and left Paris with four medals, three gold and one silver. She also cemented her status as one of the best American athletes of this generation.
The continued success has led to more viewers as the U.S. women’s soccer team did not lose a match in Paris and won its first Olympic gold medal since 2012. The U.S. men’s team was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Morocco.
Both U.S. basketball teams won gold medals, and the U.S. women’s rugby sevens team won its first bronze medal.
Biles has not said whether Paris was the end of her Olympic career or whether she will remain fit enough to try to qualify for Team USA at age 31 when the extravaganza is held in Los Angeles in 2028.